It is commonly known that the Andean nations of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia are the international centres of cocaine production. But until now, there has been no comprehensive view of this billion dollar industry. Using information culled from their extensive field research, Patrick Clawson and Rensselaer Lee reveal the configuration of the drug industry, from the original cultivation of coca in the fields of South America to the sale of cocaine on the streets of the United States. The authors analyze the economic and political impact of the drug business on the Andean nations, including such problems as violence and the undermining of legitimate business.